Bill Gates is a believer in clean energy, which makes him an ardent supporter of electric vehicles. EVs, according to the Microsoft co-founder, are the way of the future and one of the solutions to reverse the ill-effects of climate change. Gates, however, is convinced too that electrified vehicles have their limitations.
The reduction of humanity's carbon footprint will depend significantly on how quickly the use of fossil fuel can be eliminated, and Gates said efforts to achieve that goal is making a dent. Thanks to EVs, global emissions are expected to decrease in the years to come as more players are entering the market and, in the process, giving more options to consumers.
Gates, in a new blog, lauded companies like General Motors and Ford for working on projects that resulted in innovations, which allowed the mass production of electric vehicles with more powerful batteries. The billionaire said as EVs and the batteries that energized them become more technologically advanced, consumers reap the benefits and earth as well.
Strangely though, Gates failed to mention Tesla on his honor list of prominent EV players, and the omission seemed to ignore the fact that Elon Musk's company is at the forefront of the EV market segment in terms of innovation. The snub, according to Yahoo Finance, might have something to do with Gates' recent criticisms directed at Musk.
The maverick Tesla chief recently fought with U.S. authorities on the lockdown imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Musk likened the safety protocols to "fascist" rule, but Gates disagreed and advised the Tesla boss to just focus on his job and let health experts do their work.
And it appears now that Gates' disagreement with Musk extends to the latter's work, which envisions the commercialization of electrified trucks and airplanes. This will be made possible by the development of more powerful batteries in the near future, but Gates said these same power sources are likely big and heavy.
If this will be the case, Gates said huge EVs like the Tesla Semi and electric airplanes will not work on the account of the battery technology alone. The better solution is for market players to turn their attention on biofuel, which the philanthropist said is the cheaper alternative.
However, Electrek said Gates' outlook on the subject seemed shortsighted. It may be true that batteries in their present form are big and heavy, particularly those that deliver greater mile range, but works are underway to develop more efficient battery types, and they are expected to be completed soon.
Quantumscape, for instance, is working on a technology to produce a battery with a rating of 500Wh per kilogram, which can fire up a big truck and even a commercial plane. Gates is an investor in the company, the report noted.
